This inexpensive Cab. brought by (NW) was opened after dinner just to see what it was like since he bought it “blind.”
It is cherry red with a nice bouquet with some chocolate hints, blackberry and bramble flavors with a slight dill and anise note.
In the mouth this wine’s first impression was uniquely sour at the very rear palate and yet it wasn’t “sour.” *Hard to describe. (*it is possible that I was in the sub-clinical stage of a naso-pharyngeal infection which manifested a few days later and this may have messed up my taster!)
The wine on opening is tight and a little awkward. With some air the bouquet is changing to a more wild aroma and the palate is getting somewhat bitter? (Again see * above) Licorice and chocolate returns in the bouquet. This has a wild rustic sort of mid-palate with solid fruit and a little stone and tannins that could use another a year or so. All in all I liked it. I guessed a reference point of $14 for this bottle and (NW) confirmed that is exactly what it cost.
Why am I leaving this posted even though it may be continue erroneous due to an impending cold? Because (NW) will also post his review when he gets back in the country and then we can all see if my review was accurate or completely invalid due to an infection. Raise a glass—but not with a cold!
The Avalon Cab is a fantastic value. Great for restaurants as a house wine or by the case if you're throwing a party. Either the Napa Valley Cab 12 or the California Cab 8 is an incredible deal for the complexity it offers to the palate. It's a California classic Cabernet, see-sawing between cherry/blackberry and vanilla/oak, with earthy tones.
ReplyDeleteLet it breathe for 20-30 mins. and you'll really experience this.
Rick